Count the Whispers
by Dustii
Summary: A collection of Naruto drabbles and short stories. Various pairings, mostly centered around the members of Team 7. 03: Traces. Sasuke glances back, almost expecting, yet not quite. SasuSaku.
1. The Heart of Home

A/N: This is a collection of drabbles and short stories featuring various pairings, themes, and genres. No flames please, and reviews are appreciated. Thank you.

_A story for Team 7, because I love them and would love for them to restore their friendship._

_Drama/Angst_

**The Heart of Home**

Home is neither here, nor there, nor anywhere. Tears are the heart of home, and home is where you make it.

* * *

Sasuke could never cry, and Naruto and Sakura knew that.

It was alright, because they cried for him. They cried for his losses, they cried for his pain, cried for the lost moments they could have shared as friends. They cried because he couldn't.

Naruto cried because Sasuke was his best friend, and his best friend was lost. He cried for the brighter times long gone and the lingering shadow of revenge. He cried for a child stripped of a childhood and thrust with a destiny of blood. He cried for the break-up of a team shining with potential, and he cried for his own failure.

Sasuke was lost, and Naruto had become lost trying to find him.

Sakura cried because she loved Sasuke, loved everything about him, and because he was her friend. She cried for dreams never fulfilled and the scars her own hands could never heal. She cried for a child bathed in darkness who walked on a road of thorns. She cried for the pitfalls of defeat, and she cried for her own foolishness.

Sasuke was lost, and Sakura had become lost in loving him.

* * *

Team 7 was dead.

Naruto and Sakura cried for the death of the Team. It had been a haven of friendship and warmth, a refuge from the bitter claws of darkness and descent. But when one fell, the others fell with him, and so, the Team had died.

Naruto and Sakura cried for that death, because they had loved the Team, had loved Sasuke.

And they knew that deep inside, Sasuke would have cried too.

* * *

He knew how they for his pain and bled for his wounds.

He swore that one day, when he had found his way back home, he would pick up the bonds of Naruto and Sakura and resurrect the Team.

And Sasuke swore that until the end of time, he would fight for them to the death.

Maybe someday, he would learn to cry for them too.

* * *

The journey home is a tough one, especially when the people who made up home were lost too.

It wasn't just fate that Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke found each other first.

It simply happened one day. A moment where time froze and three souls connected. Finally, when the ice shattered, and Sasuke slowly picked up the bonds again, the tears spilled from Naruto and Sakura in an ocean of relief and happiness. Three bodies fell against each other in an embrace and didn't let go. Ever.

Some things were still the same, but some were different.

Naruto still smiled sadly at the way Sakura looked at Sasuke, and the way Sasuke looked back sometimes.

Sakura still sighed as she glanced out of the corner of her eye, observing the undying friendship between Naruto and Sasuke.

Sasuke said nothing but felt the twinge in his heart as he saw Sakura and Naruto exchange gentle smiles. He knew something they didn't.

But everything was alright, though, because Sakura would have shed all the tears in the world for the Team to come back.

And as Sakura cried and Naruto kissed away her tears, and Sasuke buried his face in her hair, they knew things were alright, even if they were still lost. The only thing that mattered was that they had found each other, and the heart of home was with them.

The Team was still alive, and this time they would make it home together.

Tears and all.

**-Owari-**


	2. Nothing Between

_This is an after-shot to The Heart of Home. Another take on Team 7, as they find their way back home._

_Drama/Angst_

**Nothing Between**

Together we search, and yet the distance between our hearts and home is both nothing and everything at once.

* * *

Konoha, land of the leaves. 

It is the place Team 7 once called home.

They know that they have found home again. But home has not found them.

It is not quite the same as it once was.

* * *

Sakura looks back and thinks of her mother and father, gentle and loving. She thinks Tsunade-sama and Shizune-san and the wide doors of the hospital. She remembers her old house, small and warm. 

Sakura holds her head high now when she walks. She does not look back.

Since Sasuke returned, the villagers had shunned her in subtle ways. Mothers would hush their children and shield them from her sight when she had paused to greet them, and vendors would politely avert their eyes.

It stunned her, but she does not regret. She is not ashamed of Sasuke, and she is not ashamed of herself.

The children, who had once run up to her with wild flowers, now remained quiet in her presence. However, Sakura does not miss the shy glances they offer her from behind their mothers' backs.

She has made her decision. For Sasuke and Naruto, for the Team, she will not let the pride leave her steps. She is strong.

Sakura speaks less with the villagers now, but she still smiles at the children.

Her parents, friends, and master are still there, as was the hospital and her room.

But there are still wounds to be healed and hearts to be mended.

She thinks she is happy, but not quite content.

* * *

Naruto remembers the villagers, every cold stare or smiling face, and the friends that he cherished more than life itself. He recalls the inviting seats of the ramen stand and the clutter in his old apartment. 

Naruto still struggles with earning the respect of the villagers, but finds that he is not alone for once.

The difference is that Sasuke does not struggle. He does not try, does not _fight_ for acceptance.

That is why he will fight Sasuke's fight for him. He swears he will become Hokage. For the sake of the Team.

When he walks through the village, Naruto stands a little straighter and makes sure his hair is a little neater. Every little thing counts, he has learned, so he will change the little things to preserve the large.

The apartment and ramen stand are still here, and so are his friends. He too is happy, but not content.

There are still promises to be kept and dreams to be pursued.

* * *

Sasuke looks back and remembers his family, his admirers, and the team that he grudgingly accepted. He remembers Sakura's smiling face and Naruto's laughing one, and the painfully empty Uchiha complex at night. 

Naruto and Sakura cannot shelter Sasuke from the glares and the resentment of the villagers, and Sasuke does not want them to.

They have done enough for him. They have cried for him. They have saved him. They have shouldered his burdens.

So he will carry this one for them. It is all he can do.

He strides through the streets with his back hunched and hands in his pockets, radiating the same Uchiha confidence he had years ago. He ignores the fearful murmurs that wash through the villagers he passes by and the sympathetic looks other shinobi give him.

His family and admirers are long gone, and the complex is still lonely. But Naruto and Sakura are still there. He is not happy, may never be, but for now, _he is_ _content_.

There are two people in the world more important than Itachi and revenge, and he has found them both.

Sasuke knows that he is hated almost like Orochimaru. He knows he did not deserve to come home. But he just doesn't care, he just doesn't care…

Because he is _not _Orochimaru. He is Uchiha Sasuke, the last of an ancient legacy.

_And they are Team 7, the heart of a new one._

**-Owari-**


	3. Traces

_A dab of SasuSaku… not my usual, but I got into a sentimental mood. Enjoy! _

**Traces**

A breeze sweeps by her face and her mind is filled with nostalgic memories.

She looks to the horizon and wonders.

* * *

Alone in the forest, Sasuke breathes. The air is still tense with pursuit, but he knows has evaded the hunter nins for the moment. In the ringing silence, he prepares himself, and his brief respite lasts only a moment before he leaps forward to engage the hunters.

He defeats them after some time, almost wondering why he even bothered to let them live. They are grass nins – hardly worth his consideration, but he pauses for just a moment when he notices the hauntingly familiar pink of one fallen nin's hair.

Sasuke grimaces as he takes his leave.

* * *

He sits in the corner of a small bar, sipping sake. It is late evening, and the few remaining customers around him begin to rise wearily, some being led out by a partner. A black haired woman, scantily clad in a thin kimono that was sliding off her shoulders, approached him with a mischievous smile.

"You look like you could do with some company." she purred, sensually draping herself over him.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, studying her with detached amusement. He noted with fascination the bright color of her irises - for a fraction of a second, he found himself gazing into the eyes of a girl he had left behind many years ago.

"I'll pass." he smirked after a moment, rising to leave. The woman began to protest, tugging at his sleeves. He freed himself from her grasp, and offered one last nod before stepping out of the bar.

"I don't like green eyes."

* * *

There is a boy and a girl, and he stops in his tracks in bewilderment. A glance at his confident stride, her blushing face, and Sasuke is left with a strange feeling of discontent.

"What do you want, sir?" the boy says politely, not bothering to hide the hostility in his voice. Almost protectively, he steps in front of the girl.

Suddenly, the years fly away and Sasuke almost feels the faintest of touches on his arm, the softest of voices in his ear. A little warmth dares to trickle into his conscious and he blinks twice.

Offering them the cockiest smirk he can muster, he shrugs and replies "Nothing." He continues walking, never missing a step, as though he never stopped. Only when he is out of their sight does he exhale.

Sasuke glances back, almost expecting, yet not quite…

Far away, in the streets of Konoha, Sakura smiles a half-hearted smile.

- Owari -


End file.
